UK telecoms regulator Ofcom wants to ban inflation-related rises in phone and broadband contracts. Instead, it says any potential mid-contract price rises should be set out in pounds and pence.

A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.

Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.

UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.

Mark Bridge writes:

As 2011 draws to a close, many of us start looking towards 2012 and wondering what’ll be happening in the mobile phone industry. Here at The Fonecast we’ve invited a handful of industry experts and business leaders to offer us their thoughts about the coming year.

Today’s podcast contains analysis and insight from Hans Eriksson, Steve Litchfield, Dr Windsor Holden, Dr Mark Smith and Jack Wraith MBE.

Mark Bridge writes:

Two years ago we talked to Mark Smith about a new company he’d just launched. It was called ipadio and it offered a straightforward proposition: you made a phone call and ipadio would turn it into a live online broadcast with a permanent online recording - either as a free service for consumers or as a premium service for businesses.

This week I caught up with Mark again and started our conversation by asking him what had changed.

We look at the latest mobile industry headlines, including the UK iPhone launch. We also talk to Chris Caudle from the IMPDA about cashback and review the HTC S710 smartphone.

The team looks at the latest industry headlines, including plenty of mobile music news. There's also a review of the Nokia N81 and a chat with Mark Sennett, the man in charge of the new Mobile News web site.

The team review the latest news including Google and Sony's rumoured mobile phones. The team debate the Nokia Music Store and bring you a review of the LG Viewty KU990.

This week the team look at the J600 from Samsung & the Blue Q wrist band. Also Iain & James take you through the latest news and gossip from the past 7 days.

We talk to Nokia UK's Simon Ainslie and to Chris Caudle from the IMPDA, we review the Sagem my150X, we hear from Ian White and we look at the week's mobile news headlines.